Srinagar, Sep 11: Senior BJP leader and party J&K spokesperson Altaf Thakur on Friday accused the National Conference (NC) of selectively interpreting Kashmir’s political history while ignoring what he described as its record of political suppression and intolerance towards dissent.
Reacting to recent remarks by NC chief spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq, Thakur said the NC could not portray itself solely as a victim of Kashmir’s political developments.
“NC’s history is not a story of victimhood alone. It also has chapters of political suppression, intolerance towards dissent and the marginalisation of rival voices,” Thakur said.
He said Kashmir’s political history needed to be examined through historical records and contemporary accounts rather than political narratives.
Referring to Walter Lawrence’s The Valley of Kashmir, Thakur cited observations regarding the material conditions of Kashmiri villagers and said historical accounts should be considered in their entirety.
Thakur also referred to the transformation of the Muslim Conference into the National Conference under Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, describing it as a significant turning point in Kashmir’s political history. He questioned how political space for those who disagreed with Abdullah subsequently narrowed.
He cited Mirwaiz Yousuf Shah as an important political and religious voice outside Abdullah’s camp and said Kashmir’s history could not be understood by focusing on one political stream alone.
Thakur also raised questions about the role of Halqa-e-Khawateen, alleging that sections of the organisation were involved in intimidating and publicly humiliating political opponents during the late 1940s and early 1950s.
He accused the NC leadership of presenting a selective version of Kashmir’s past while overlooking the experiences of political opponents.
“Tanvir Sadiq and his political masters cannot pick convenient pages from history and discard the rest,” Thakur said.
He called on the younger generation to study original historical records and said political parties should be open to scrutiny of both their achievements and controversial chapters.
“Kashmir’s history belongs to its people, not to any political family,” Thakur said, adding that the BJP would continue to challenge what he termed the NC’s “selective history.”
